Dalen, Monica & Theie, Steinar (2017). Academic performance, language and behavior skills, school motivation, and social relationships among adopted and non-adopted first graders: similarities and differences. Journal of Research in Childhood Education.
ISSN 0256-8543.

Internationally adopted children are often delayed in their development and demonstrate more behaviour problems than nonadopted children due to adverse preadoption circumstances. This is especially true for children adopted fromEastern European countries. Few studies have focused on children adopted from non-European countries. This paper presents results from an ongoing longitudinal study of 119 internationally adopted children from non-European countries during their first two years in Norway. Several scales measuring different aspects of the children’s development are included in the study: communication and gross motor development, temperamental characteristics, and behaviour problems. The results show that internationally adopted children are delayed in their general development when they first arrive in their adoptive families. After two years the children have made significant progress in development. However, they still lag behind in communication and motor skills compared to non-adopted children. The temperamental characteristics seem very stable from time of adoption until two years after adoption. The children demonstrate a low frequency of behaviour problems. However, the behaviour problems have changed during the two years. At time of adoption they show more nonphysically challenging behaviour while after two years their physically challenging behaviour has increased.

Dalen, Monica & Theie, Steinar (2012). General Development, Temperamental Characteristics and Behavioral Problems in Adopted Children from Non-Eastern Countries during the First Two Years in Their New Families in Norway.. European psychiatry.
ISSN 0924-9338.
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Dalen, Monica & Theie, Steinar (2012). Motor development, temperamental characteristics, and behavior problems among international adopted children from Non-Eastern European countries during the first two years in their new families - results from a longitudinal study in Norway.
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Due to adverse preadoption condition internationally adopted children are delayed in their development and expose more behavior problems than non-adopted children (Juffer & van Ijzendoorn 2005). This is especially true for children adopted from Eastern Europe (Rutter et al. 2010). There is a need to know more about the development of children adopted from non-European countries (Jacobs et al. 2010). This Poster presents results from an ongoing longitudinal study of 119 internationally adopted children from non-European countries during their two first years in Norway. Several developmental scales are included in the study: General development (Ages & Stages, ASQ) focusing on communication, gross and fine motor development; temperamental characteristics (Buss & Plomin, EAS) focusing on emotionality, activity and shyness; and behavior problems focusing on physical and non-physical challenging behavior. The adopted children in this study are delayed in their general development at time of adoption compared to standard norms. The between age comparison show that although the children are progressing in their development they still lag behind at age two. The temperamental characteristics seem very stable from time of adoption and up to age two. The children expose generally low frequency of behavior problems. However, the behavior problems have changed during the two years. At time of adoption the children show more non-physical challenging behavior while at age two their physical challenging behavior has increased. Conclusion: Children adopted from non-European countries are delayed in their general development but show less behavior problems compared to children adopted from European countries.

Vonheim, Kristin & Dalen, Monica (2012). Assessing Quality of Social Interaction in Families with Internationally Adopted Children by Using Videotaped Structured Observations.

Vonheim, Kristin & Dalen, Monica (2011). Characteristics of mother/child interactions in families with internationally adopted children at age 2.

Disability is an important dimension along which discrimination occurs, and this may be particularly marked in the case of the education of girls having some form of disability. Norway has used strategies along three separate dimensions (education, disability and gender) in its work towards the goals of education for all (EFA), regardless of ability and gender.